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PHILIPPINES: Ford Launches Program at Don Bosco Vocational Training Center

(MissionNewswire) Ford Philippines has launched a new technical training facility at Don Bosco Technical Vocational Education and Training Center (TVET) in Makati City. The facility is part of Ford’s corporate social responsibility efforts to support local educational development initiatives. Ford invested the funding to develop the new workshop, which includes a classroom fit for 50 students, rotary vehicle lifts and cabinets filled with specialized tools to enable hands-on training and simulation exercises.

“We’ve had a fantastic partnership with Don Bosco since 2004, working together on a series of initiatives that help develop the technical skills and experience of the TVET students, which leads them to even better career opportunities,” said Lance Mosley, Ford Philippines managing director, in a statement about the new facility.

During the course of their partnership, Ford has routinely recruited technicians directly from Don Bosco’s programs. In addition to student training, Mosley shared that the facility will also be used to conduct Ford’s factory certified training for its current technicians.

“Ford’s thrust of going further aligns perfectly with our philosophy of helping youth become technically competent so they, too, can go further in their lives,” said Father José Dindo Vitug, technical director of the Don Bosco Manpower Skills Training Center.

Ford has also announced that it will be fully funding and sponsoring 25 deserving out-of-school youth with full scholarships. The scholarships will grant students the chance to attend a 15-month automotive technical course at the new facility. The program is part of Ford’s “School-to-Work” initiative. The American Chamber of Commerce Foundation will be the third-party administrator for the scholarship’s selection process. Don Bosco Technical Vocational Education and Training Center will help screen candidates, monitor student performance and find employment opportunities for graduates at Ford dealerships.

“We’re looking to invest in 25 highly-capable students at Don Bosco who show a lot of potential and are interested in automotive careers. We’re providing these scholarships to support them and to facilitate getting a start in the automotive industry,” added Mosley.

More than one quarter of the population of the Philippines live in poverty, according to UNICEF. Poverty is most severe and widespread in rural areas where 80 percent of the population—close to 88 million people—make their home. The poorest Filipinos are indigenous populations, small-scale farmers who cultivate land received through agrarian reform, landless workers and fishermen. In addition, poverty rates are higher for women than men.

Access to education is a critical component to overcoming poverty. In the Philippines, drop-out rates double as children reach secondary school and there are more than 11 million out-of-school youth, according to UNICEF. Almost a quarter of the country’s population, including a large percentage of children, live in poverty.

Illiteracy and high levels of unemployment contribute to the elevated poverty rate. With more than 11 million out-of-school youth in the country and drop-out rates doubling as children reach secondary school, access to education becomes a critical step in breaking the cycle of poverty.

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SOURCES:

ANS – Philippines – Ford PH inaugurates new Don Bosco training facility

UNICEF – Philippines